I wasn't sure what I was doing wrong because I always capitalize it, although that is the third preferred use.

The preferred use is REALTOR®.

The second preferred use is Realtor®.

However, the National Association of Realtors, recognizing that putting registered symbols or all-caps REALTORs throughout text can easily dilute the message of the text for the general public, allows the third preferred use of Realtor, with just an initial capital letter.

Note that Realtor™ or any other form with the trademark symbol is also incorrect.

If you like the registered symbol, ®, you can easily make it on any keyboard by holding the ALT key down and then typing 174 on your keypad, the numbers at the right of your keyboard. Don't use the numbers at the top; those won't work. If 174 doesn't work in your software or browser, simply use 0174. Apple folks, you're on your own since I use PCs here.

What I did not know is that only people can be Realtors. Well, I knew that but had forgotten my grammar rules. So when I said, "Jim Frimmer, your Mission Valley Realtor," I was using Realtor improperly. Mission Valley cannot be a Realtor. Nor can California, as in "your San Diego, California, Realtor."

However, Realtor can be used by itself, as in "your Realtor in Mission Valley."

I've noticed that I'm not the only one here at ActiveRain using Realtor improperly. In fact, after being called out for improper use, I've been noticing that many other people are using it improperly. In fact, some of them are people who have been real estate agents (although perhaps not Realtors) for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 years longer than me.

I'm wondering if the rules have changed recently, which simply means that one should do an annual check on one's business to make sure that it still meets all the rules and regulations under which we operate.

Interesting information. I was just looking through the titles of a few blog posts that were posted just before you, "Southern ""State"" REALTOR"....then..."Town REALTOR"....I will have to read more into it. Thanks for the info!

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